Distance
by Young.And.Beautiful.Charlotte
Summary: "Make sure to keep my distance. Say, "I love you," when you're not listening. How long 'til we call this love, love, love?"
1. Chapter 1

**A/N ((Hey guys! Before you read this story, I just want to thank you for taking the time to even consider and follow through with reading this story. This is my first story ever on this site. I already appreciate you guys reading this, and if you were to review it would be even better. I wanna hear what all of you guys thought about his chapter. What can I do better? What do you like? What do you think in general? Wanna talk about how sexy Jax is? Okay! **

**Also, my main character, Gia, was inspired by Vanessa Hudgens as far as the looks go. Background wise, that was all me. Except for the fact that she is actually Greek, I am not though. Please don't judge me that I am using google translate to get some the words in Greek that I am using. You can get these translations below (:**

**Oh, I'm not following any strict storyline from the show. I might use some aspects, but not all. For one, Clay doesn't become this asshole or go to jail.. blah blah blah. Jax never met Tara in his life. OH! Jax has the short gelled back hair and beard he has in Season 5&6, just to let you guys know!**

**I don't own Jax, Clay, or any member from the show that you recognize. I only own people like Gia and Valerie who come from my imagination as I write this story!))**

Translations:

Mitéra - Mother  
Méli - Honey  
Kalá - Okay  
Kóri - Daughter

* * *

"Yes Mom, I know." Gia huffed as she looked both ways before crossing the street. As her mother chastised her from the other end of the phone, she concentrated on the pounding of her heels on the concrete, playfully rolling her eyes. Gia's mind began to wonder off as she stabbed her key into her front door's keyhole.

Yes, she missed her family. Every single day, in fact. But as much as she missed and loved them, she didn't have the time or the money to travel to see them.

Especially with the upcoming launch of Gia's Sweet Treats.

Her bakery, her pride and joy.

She endured working six days a week since she was seventeen just to pay for way out of New York. Researching the most comfortable town she could find, she packed up as fast as she could, hoping to get rid of the loud, fast paced city. When she reached Charming, and taking a tour of the small secluded town, she decided what this town could use was a small quaint bakery.

And here she was, in the middle of the renovations of the small property there on Main Street.

"Mom... mom... Mitéra!" Gia shook her head after she came to realize that she had to speak Greek just to get her mother to listen. "I understand, I really do. The thing is that you have to understand that I have things going on over here. In fact, you haven't once asked about the Bakery." she sighed. "I thought you'd be proud."

"Méli.." her mother paused and corrected herself. "Honey, of course I am! But you have to know that a mother must see her daughter every once in a while. It's been too long."

At hearing the sound of her mother trailing off, Gia knew her mother was about to begin crying. Knowing that she would cry if her mother started. "Mitéra, please don't start. You know how I love you guys. I promise I'll come visit all of you soon, let me just make the bakery a hit first. kalá?"

On the other end of the line, her mother gave a shaky smile. "Kalá. And I love you too, Kóri."

Gia forced herself to smile when she hung up. Even though she believe smiling would keep her from crying didn't mean it was true. Throwing herself onto her couch, she held her head in her hands, tears falling down her face.

* * *

"How ya' feelin', son? I know this is a lot to think about. But I know, deep deep down inside, it's the right thing. Matter of fact, I also know deep deep _deep_ down inside of you, you know this too." Clay said as he pulled the lighter up to the cigar between his lips. "I believe in ya', son."

Jax ran a hand over his beard, something he'd grown a habit to these last few weeks. The sure way to tell he was deep in his thoughts was to watch his hand stroke that damn beard of his.

For so long he'd been wearing this damn Vice President patch, waiting for the day he'd take it off and sew on the one reading 'President.' But now that Clay had announced to the club during Church that he'd be stepping down, passing on the gavel onto his stepson. A couple months ago, hell even yesterday, he'd been dying to get his shot. Now that is was finally that time he'd been waiting for, he'd taken a step back to evaluate the situation. He wasn't sure if he was fit to run this damn club. Was hardly even sure if he could deal with the new relationship with the Mayans and the Galindo Cartel. How could he reign if he was positive he could lead the club on.

"How'd you do it, Clay?" he asked. "Between the Niners, Mayans, Cartel, Irish, just fucking everyone in this damn business. How the fuck did you deal with all the deaths and the annoying ass cops at our door. The fucking jail time.."

"You're thinking too

* * *

damn much." Clay stated. "You think I would'a made ya' VP if I didn't believe in ya'? Hell fucking no, Jax. Know this: I had you as my VP, Tig as my right hand, and the rest of the club having my back. We supported each other. I was a good Pres. because I took a moment every night to contemplate if what I was doing for the good of the club, son. I have no doubt you'll do the same." Letting out a chuckle, he tapped the ash off his cigar in the tray. "Don't tell your mom this because lord knows her head is already too goddamn big. She was by my side, made me the man who I am now. She told me that she knew I would do whatever was best for the club, got me to believe it too. She was there, that's why she's my Queen."

"Let me show ya' somethin' son." Clay said, standing up while stubbing out his cigar. Throwing an arm around Jax's shoulders, he guided him to the Chapel doors and opened them slightly. "You see those men out there? They're ready for you to lead, son. They're ready for you to prove them right when it comes to you leading the club into a new age. Now what are you gonna do? You gonna prove them right or wrong?"

"Right." Jax muttered.

"Louder." Clay barked out.

"I'm gonna prove them right." Jax stated as he nodded.

Clay smiled and clapped him on the back, "That's my boy. Now, get outta here. Get your dick sucked or somethin'."

Outside, the first Sweet Butt that spotted him strutted up to him in her high heels, fake breasts a little too big for her tiny figure, dry hair dyed blonde, makeup smeared, and clothes leaving little to the imagination. "Hey there Jax," she purred. "You up for a little something?" Jax stared at the fake french tipped nail that ran down his chest and sighed. "Get me a beer and meet me in my room, yeah?" As soon as he could finish his sentence, she'd taken off with a speed that surprised him.

When he reached his dorm room, he peeled off his cut and hung it on the peg by the door. By the time the Crow Eater had let herself into his room, he was stripped naked. Handing the beer to him, she smirked as she got down on her knees before him.

"Okay.. okay!" Jax shouted at whoever was pounding from the opposite side of the door. Quickly sliding his legs into his jeans, he surveyed the room, glad that the Crow Eater had let herself out hours ago. "What?" he glared at the prospect as he pulled the door open.

"Clay wanted me to come get you, said there was a job he wants you to do tonight." Phil said as he stepped aside for Jax to step into the hall. "Told me to tell you to meet him in the Chapel. I'm really sorry for waking you. I was-"

"You were just doing what the club asked you to do, I get it. No problem, Phil." he said as he pulled his white shirt and cut on. He shook his head and smiled when he saw multiple members with Sweetbutts on their laps. Just another fine night in the lives of Samcro.

"Got a job for me, Pres?" he asked as soon as the doors were closed behind him. To be honest, he more excited that usual when it came to doing small jobs on this side. It felt as if this would be the last normal act of being a member he would experience before he took on the gavel. Come to think of it, he felt a tinge of sadness knowing he wouldn't be feeling the surge of adrenaline go through his body as he ended a man's life. Instead, he would be the one sitting at the head of the table ordering other members to go out and get there hands dirty.

"Got a call from T.O. Said the Grim Bastards saw a couple Nords up at a bar right inside the charming border. Thought we'd wanna be the ones to take care of these assholes. Thinking you and Ope could go and teach these guys a lesson, maybe even kill one of their little friends. You up for it, VP?" Clay smirked and leaned back in his chair. He knew for sure Jax would be more than up for it when it came down to it. His stepson was never one to back away from a job. And he knew he was right as soon as the corners of Jax's lips turned up into a smile.

"You know it, Pres."

* * *

"Gia! Loosen up a little! You called me to help you get your mind off of your family. It was your idea to come to the bar, and you're acting like all you wanna do is go home!" Valerie rolled her eyes and continued to sway to the pounding music in her seat. "I understand you miss them and everything, but worry 'bout them tomorrow. Tonight, you're gonna have fun... maybe even end up in some guys bed."

Choking on her drink, Gia stared with wide eyes at her friends. "Oh My God, Valerie! I couldn't possibly! You know I'm not like that."

"Exactly!" she clapped. "Maybe you things would be better for yourself if you stopped acting like.. well yourself. You've just been so stressed lately, ya' know. You spend so much time worrying about the bakery and your family. I just think that it would do you some good to just step back and get laid. Look around," Valerie gestured around the room. "There are many guys here the would die for the opportunity to even dance with you. You can't even act as if your not remotely interested in any of them."

"I'm gonna step outside..." Gia said as she slid down off the barstool.

"C'mon Gia!" Valerie shouted over the music. "Don't be like this!"

Gia pulled her cardigan tighter around her body as she stepped into the back parking lot. Why she had thought coming to this bar tonight was a good idea, she didn't know. Just thinking about how guilty she felt when she got off the phone with her mother was enough to make her want to go home and crawl back into bed. At this moment in time, she was sure there was nothing possibly in this world that could get her mind off everything. But maybe Valerie was right. Could the possibility of hooking up with some random man take her mind off everything even for just a split second? She shook her head, there was no possible. Gia knew damn well she wasn't the type to just hop right into bed with some stranger. What if she got an STD? Oh god. No chance in hell...

"We've told you in the past, Asshole. No drugs in Charming!" Jumping out of her thoughts, she looked around for the voice. Surely when she entered the lot, it was empty. Empty and quiet. She was positive that there was nobody back there when she entered.

Coming around the corner, she spotted three men. One was on his knees in front of them, his back to her. The other two were staring down to him, both had guns pointed towards him. The man kneeling on the ground spoke, something she could make out. But obviously it wasn't good because one of the men standing up hit him with the butt of the gun in his hand. "We saw you! Now, you piece of shit, I wanna hear you beg for your life. C'mon..."

"Hurry this up, Jax. We don't want his friends to find us. I'll be in the truck."

"Alright man," Jax she presumed, said as his friend turned and walked back inside. "I don't here you begging.."

"Kill me! Unless you're too big of a pussy to put that bullet straight between my eyes. C'mon boy, I'm waiting. A big pussy wearing a VP patch, I've seen it all C'mon!"

Gia unknowingly screamed when she saw the man fall forward as the man, Jax, shot him. When she realized what she had done, she covered her mouth and backed away. Halfheartily, she hoped he hadn't head her. Knowing better though, she knew it was only going to be a matter of time before he came and killed her. But, why wasn't she running away? Why wasn't she going back inside with the crowd of people? He wouldn't kill her in front of all those people, right?

Just as she thought, a few seconds later, he had appeared in front of her.

Face set in a straight line, he glared at her and took her by the throat, backing her into the wall. "How long you been standing there? You saw all that?" Gasping for what little air she could get, she shook her head. Closing her eyes, she readied herself for the bullet he was going to put into her, just like with the other man. "I'm sorry, please don't kill me." she gasped out.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N ((Omg! Thank you guys for giving me such great feedback, it mean a lot to me. You have no idea. Now, I just wanna say that you guys may or may not get an update until Tuesday night, I'm going to be pretty busy. BUT, I may or may not be able to squeeze out another chapter tonight. Let's just see how motivated I am with ideas later on, okay?**

**I do not own Jax, Clay or Gemma, or anybody you know from the show. I only own Gia and her friends/family. Ya know, the usual.))**

Den tha páo stous bátsous - I will not go to the cops

* * *

"I'm sorry, please don't kill me." she gasped out.

"Shit.." he muttered as he released her throat. He stepped back, smoothing his otherwise gelled back hair with his hands, thinking. What was he doing here? He knew damn well the Club didn't kill innocents. She may have been a risk of going to the police, but he could make sure she didn't, right? "You gonna talk to the police, Darlin'?"

"No!" she said as she shook her head violently. "I would never, I swear. I don't even speak English, see: Den tha páo stous bátsous."

"Oh, really?" Jax smirked. "How do I know you didn't just tell me that as soon as I leave, you're gonna get into your car and head straight to the police station."

Her eyes became wide, as she shook her head. "How I just never talk.. like ever." she made a gesture as if she put a lock onto her lips.

Jax chuckled and shook his head, "Appreciate the thought Darlin', but I'm sure you're gonna have to talk sometime. Just no goin' to the cops, okay?" When he received a nod, he turned and made his way towards the door. Suddenly, he turned. "What was that you were speakin'? Been around Spanish speakers, never heard that type of shit."

She made a mumbling sound. Pausing, she shook her head. "Greek.." she sighed, pushing hair out of her face. "I was speaking Greek."

"Right..." Jax trailed off.

When he was out of sight, Gia let out the breath she'd been holding for what seemed like the whole ten minutes. Quickly she made her way inside and told Valerie that she was leaving. Not that it really mattered though, seeing as how she was locking lips with some random man. When she was finally alone in her cry, before she even started the car, she burst into tears.

It didn't hit her until now that the man, Jax, could have choked her to death. If he didn't have some sort of conscience, she knew he would have done it. Ironically, she realized that saying he if he did have a conscience, why would he have killed that man? That's not something that someone could simply just do. But why exactly had he'd let her go? She could just as easily have gone straight to the cops when he left just as he had said she would of. Didn't he think she would have? Why had this complete stranger put so much trust into her? When she finally realized sitting there and obsessing over it wasn't going to change anything, she started the engine and drove home. Needless to say, for the rest of the night, she did think about him.

* * *

Gia clapped her hands together and smiled as the construction workers put the finishing touches onto the store. The large sign reading 'Gia's Sweet Treats' was now firmly in place, making the whole situation seem all the more real to her. Her pride and joy, her baby, was only a week away from opening to the public. Although mainly everything was practically finished, she still needed to get out and advertise. After shooing the workers away, she locked up the store.

Gia huffed in annoyance as she waited in line at the grocery store. The line was moving excruciatingly slow, causing multiple people in line to string out curses under their breaths. "Can you guys open up another lane? Some of us actually have things to do today, if you guys don't mind." she huffed.

An older woman standing in front of her laughed. "My guess is that they do." she said as she turned, then gestured towards Gia's cart. "That's a lot of nothing, baby girl. If you're stocking up for the winter, I highly doubt you wanna stock up on milk, butter, flour, sugar, eggs and... sprinkles."

Gia smiled and nodded. "That may be so, but..." she in turn gestured to the woman's cart. "I highly doubt you'd want to stock up on all those steaks and beer."

"Smart girl." she replied, then held out her hand. "Gemma."

"Gia." Grabbing hold of Gemma's hand, she lightly shook it. "Oh, and the milk, butter, flour, sugar, eggs and sprinkles are for me to bake with. I own this bakery that's about to open out on Main. I'm just making a whole bunch of sweets to drop off at the local businesses. Give them a little sample of what's to come, you know? Plus, I need some people to show up to my grand opening."

"Ahhh, Gia's Sweet Treats, makes sense now." Gemma turned for a second as the cashier began to check out her items. "You know, what? My husband and I own this repair shop, Teller Morrow. I'm sure all my employees would love to try some of your sweets. You wouldn't mind bringing a lot of your stuff, would ya' Darlin'?"

"Oh, of course not! I'll make sure I make a variety of stuff for you guys. When would be the best time?" Gia all but shouted.

Laughing at the young girl's eagerness, she pulled out a business card and a pen from her large purse. In, what Gia could see as perfect writing, she hastily wrote down her cell number and a time. "Eight o'clock tomorrow night is the best, Darlin'. Got a party 'bout to start then, large amount of people from all over Charming will be there. I'll personally make sure they try them, okay?" she finished as she began to push her cart outside of the door.

The next day, with only a few hours left until she had to deliver to Teller Morrow, Gia was adding the finishing touches onto the pastries. Not knowing how many people were going to be at this... 'party,' she went above and beyond. Sitting wherever she could find a place, the dining table, coffee table and counters, she had at least a hundred cupcakes and cookies, ten cakes and cinnamon rolls, and twenty muffins and scones, all cooling down.

When she finally got the time to sit down and take a break, her mind went into overdrive. She'd come to realize that she may have been the luckiest girl in the goddamn world. Opportunities were jumping at her from left and right. Although she may have kick-started the whole bakery by herself, she never expected to be having the chance to give samples to a large amount of people at once. She never, ever, expected that someone would be as generous as Gemma had been to her.

Picking up her phone, she scrolled through the pictures of her back at New York. In her 'Bakery' photo album, she stared at various pictures of her standing with her father and both of them holding up her many creations. She may have not had a real bakery back there, but her mother and father's kitchen was where she would be stationed, day after day. Her father, mother, and sister would all line up to be the first ones to try her pastries, fresh out of the oven.

Wiping a stray tear, she realized that those people were the true meaning of a _true_ family. They'd been there for everything. They'd supported her through her early decision of wanting to own her own small bakery. When she decided she wanted to move here to Charming, they never gave her any problems with it. Simpy helped her back up, drive all the way from New York to California, and helped her travel over. They did all of that out the love they have for her, something she would be grateful for for the rest of her life.

* * *

Just like Gemma had said, Gia pulled into the Teller Morrow lot at Eight O'clock sharp. True to her words, there was a party going on... a large party at that.

"You here for the party Darlin'?" An older man said as he walked toward her from the three wheeler motorcycle he'd just rode into the lot on. "Or are you lost?"

Taken aback by his intimidating presence paired with an oxygen tank, she muttered out a small, 'Uhh, what?' but quickly corrected herself. "I'm not here for the party itself, actually. But I met this woman, Gemma, at the grocery store the other day. I told her that I'm opening a bakery out on Main Street, Gia's Sweet Treats. She was nice enough to tell me I could bring some samples for your.. party. I just got here and I have no apparent idea where I could find her. Do you know?"

"Yeah, she should be inside getting ready for the 'real' party to start." he gestured towards the other side of the lot. "Follow me, Sweet Pea."

"What about the.." she paused when she realized he already started walking. "Oh, okay." He wasn't listening, not by any chance. As she followed him further into the party, she chose not to stare at all of the women not wearing very much. Instead she concentrated on the wheels of his oxygen tank, listening to the squeeking sound of the wheel. _You gotta get that fixed, Sir._

"Hey, Gemma. Found this little thang standin' outside lookin' as lost as can be. Said you know her?"

Gemma stubbed out her cigarette and pushed herself off the bar stool she was perched on, "Glad to see you could make it Baby Girl. I'm assuming you got all the stuff in your car? You need some help getting the stuff out?" Without waiting for her to answer her question, Gemma shouted to the other side of the room. "Prospects! Come help Gia here get some stuff out her car. Bring 'em in here and set them along the bar, got it?"

"Yeah, Gem. Got it." they all said as if they were Siamese Twins or something.

"You know what Gia? Why don't you let the guys go out to your car and get them for you? I'm sure they can handle it. White 2011 Range Rover, am I right?" Gemma stated more than asked. Holding out her hand for the keys to her baby, Gia hesitantly placed the keys she didn't know she had been gripping into the older woman'd palm. "Nothin' better happen to her car. Understand?"

Once again, the three of them all muttered out the same 'Yeah, Gem. Got it.'

"Come and relax with me, Gia." Gemma patted the bar stool next to the one she had returned to sitting on. "They may have started a little party of their own outside, but it doesn't _really_ start until my boys finish with their... business. Anyway, you smoke? Drink? I really hope you plan on staying around for the party. Only about ten more minutes before the steaks go onto the grill. Gonna be real fun, I can promise you it will."

"O-Oh no." she stuttered. "That's awfully nice of you, Gemma, really. But I don't think I'd fit in. Parties like these really aren't my scene." Suddenly, whooping and hollering could be heard behind this door that Gia had failed to notice before, making her jump in her chair. As she was about to turn to Gemma and ask her about it, the large black doors swung open and a sea of men wondered out. Some of them chattering among themselves, others clapping each other of the backs. Above all, though, they all had wide grins spread across their faces.

"Congrats Brother!" they all hollered at once, followed by one shouting. "Let's party!"

As if there was a parting of the Red Sea, they all stood back. Stepping out of the black doors, was an older man with his arm slung across the shoulders of a very familiar man. The last time she'd seen him had been a week ago, in the back parking lot of the bar by the Charming border. He had just released her throat and was asking what language she had spoken. As the color drained out of her face, she was silently hoping he didn't see her. But suddenly, he turned and his eyes connected with hers.

Sharply breathing in, she turned to Gemma to excuse herself. "It was really nice to see you again. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to get my business out there. Have a nice night." With what she thought was lightening speed, she power walked out the door the older man had led her in earlier. Determined to get into her car and drive out of the gates, she didn't hear the man until he had caught up with her.

Walking alongside her, he smirked down at her. "You stalkin' me or somethin' Darlin'?"

"W-What?" she stuttered. "Of course not. I was here too simply just drop off some pastries for your.. party. I had no knowledge that you were even going to be here." she paused and stopped walking. "And you know what? No offence, but I wouldn't want to stalk someone that was wrapping his hand around my throat, choking me. Didn't leave a lasting impression really. I'd rather stay as far away from you as possible... Sir."

Well.. S'cuse me, Darlin'." he chuckled. "You're not stayin' for the party? Promise it's gonna be fun."

"Yeah, that's exactly what Gemma said." Clearing her throat, she finally met his eyes. Seeing as how he was a little over six foot, her five one frame had so somewhat bend her head back to even do that. "And like I told her, it's not really my scene. I'd rather go home and read a book."

"Oh C'mon, girl." he said, nudging her. "You wouldn't even stay for my own party? What if I first said I was sorry for trying to kill you. You just gotta step into my shoes. You could'a put me in prison, Darlin'. Then what if I said that I would really _really_ like you to stay, have you as my guest. Did I mention it's my own party? Don't you think I should have my own plus one?"

Gia, grinding her teeth, actually thought about it. When he said that he was sorry for what happened, he seemed genuinely sorry. And to actually step into his shoes, she wouldn't have necessarily tried to kill a person, but she still understood the whole concept. "You keep saying it's your party. How?"

Tapping a patch on his chest, he smiled widely. "I was just patched as President. That type of thing deserves a party, Darlin'."

She rolled her eyes. "Riiiiight..." she dragged out.

"Don't make me beg."

"You wouldn't."

"You're right." he chuckled. "C'mon Darlin'. You see all those people watchin'? What do you think they're gonna say 'bout me if they watch you get in that car and leave me? Mean things, I can assure you." He gave a dramatic sigh, "Are you gonna let me be bullied, Darlin'?"

Swearing under her breath, she shook his head. "I guess not. But don't try anything.."

"Jax."

"Gia."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N (( Just just I said I would, here's another chapter! You guys have been great with giving me feedback and showing your interest in this story. You guys deserve this (: **

**I do not own Jax or any other member from SOA that you know, I only own Gia and her family/friends. ))**

Pappoús - Grandfather  
Glykó Korítsi - Sweet Girl  
Erastís - Lover

* * *

"Here you go, Darlin'." Jax said, placing a plate down in front of her on the picnic table. "Really hope you're not allergic to anything 'cause I got ya' a bit of everythin'. Also, I got the prospects diggin' for anything that isn't booze and is cold. "

"That's really nice of you, Jax. Thanks." she said as she kept her eyes on her food, watching herself poke at the salad. It was obvious that she didn't know how to talk to a man who had a week earlier been trying to kill her. The things that she wanted to talk about she would guess wouldn't be socially acceptable. She could see him now, stabbing her with a plastic fork after she asked 'So.. why'd you kill that guy?'

"Ain't no reason for you to be quiet around me, Gia. You can ask me anything and I'll do my best to answer them for you. I'm sure we both have some things to ask each other, right? How 'bout I start?" After taking a sip of his beer and he cleared his throat, he finally spoke. "How long you been in Charming? Been here my whole life. I swear I know everybody in this goddamn small town, I know I'd remember someone with a face as pretty as yours. What's your story?"

Chewing on the end of her plastic fork, she thought about it for a moment. Her story was boring. Sure was sure he didn't want to hear about it. How was she going to spice it up to make it interesting. Surely she wasn't going to make up some sob story about fleeing from an abusive home or boyfriend. "Not much to tell. Just got tired of living in New York. Most people think that living in the 'City That Never Sleeps' is so amazing, but it's not. After a while you get tired of the constant hustle and bustle, you know? Sometimes, like in my case, you just want to have some peace in quiet. So, when I seventeen, I got a job to support my two dreams: Moving to a small town and owning my own bakery. Looks like I'm about to finally achieve the second. My bakery is about to open next week."

"Congrats Darlin'. Really nice to know that there are some girls out there who are 'Go-Getters.' Glad to see you had two goals set and you achieved both of them. Kind of a bit of an honor sitting here in your presence, really." He said, smiling at her as he sipped on his second beer. It was the truth, the gospel truth. He knew girls like her were far and few. Most of them willing to lay on their backs just to get what they wanted. The Crow Eaters no doubt.

"So what about you, Mr. President?" she asked. "You got some sort of story about getting to the top? You made me tell mine, don't back out of yours."

Jax playfully glared. "This is my party, I do what I want."

"Okay.." she said as she picked up her plate and swung her leg over the bench. "Guess I could go find someone that will then."

"Once upon a time.." he wiggled his brows at her. "There was Prince Charming.. me if you didn't get that. All the women from the kingdom wanted their chance to be with him. Multiple tried to be his Princess. Then, a group of guys from the kingdom all decided that they wanted to crown me King because of my skills with the ladies-"

"Your real story!"

"Alright Darlin', for real this time." he said, letting out a small chuckle. "My mom, Gemma, grew up here. As soon as she could, moved herself out. Came back years later with my dad and his best friend.. and a baby. My Dad and Clay made this motorcycle club, The Sons Of Anarchy, spreading out all over the world. Dad died when I was young, Clay took over as President and married my mom. As soon as I was eighteen, I became a prospect. And before long, five years ago I became Vice President. Here I am now, wearin' this President patch. Ain't much really to it, Darlin'."

"No kids?" she asked.

"Nah. I believe kids should come from a stable relationship, ya' know? Never even have a real serious relationship, never thought I'd be the type to settle down and get married really. So.. no kids. You?"

She shook her head. "Nope. Now if you asked whether or not I wanted one, it would be a different story. I've always wanted to be a mother. Just the fact that it's not the best time with me since I'm jumping starting this bakery. Plus, haven't had a serious relationship since before I left New York. Not many guys here that I've noticed here that are my type."

"Your type?" he cleared his throat. "If you don't mind me askin'."

Biting on her plastic fork she smiled. "A dependable guy. I know that if I ask him to do or for something, he would do it with hesitation. He's a family man. He wouldn't mind meeting my family and later on becoming part of it. He has to somewhere down the line want to get married and have kids. He may not be rich, but he's responsible enough to provide our family the things that we need. he works hard but still have time to attend to family gatherings and kiss our children goodnight...i want him to be a man that is being looked up to by my children. And when it comes to me? I just want somebody to hold. Someone to give me their jacket when its cold. I want someone to grab my hand. Pick me up, pull me close, be my man. He doesn't necessarily have to be the most romantic person in the world, but sometimes he would show me he at least tried."

"Wow, that's deep Darlin'."

"Hey Brother, we're 'bout to start the fight. Thought you'd want to come and stand in my corner. Watch me beat the shit out of Koz." Tig said as he approached, not awknowledging Gia's presence.

"Be there in a sec, Brother." Jax turned to her, a small smile on his lips. "You wanna come watch the fight, Darlin'?"

"Why does it matter whether or not this Gash comes Jax?" Tig asked, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Tig.." Jax said, warning apparent in his voice. "Watch your words carefully, Brother. Like I said. Be there in a second."

Sneering, Tig turned and stalked back over to the ring, leaving Gia questioning his appearance. Obviously she wasn't wanted in this party. Did this this 'Tig' character think that she was like these other barely dressed women at the party. Looking down at her outfit, she concluded that he couldn't have. Her cropped top didn't stop too much stomach or clevage. While her skinny jeans that tucked into her boots didn't hang too low on her waist. If he didn't think she was one of those women, what was his problem? Surely it wasn't the fact that she was taking away his President's attention away from the rest of them... right?"

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked, pulling pieces of the styrofoam off of the plate. "If he they don't want me here I can just leave. I don't mind."

"Nah it's not that, Gia." Jax said slowly. "Tig there has just been moodly lately. I swear everyone else is nice. If you tell them you made those amazing cakes and shit, I bet they'd become your best friends in a heart beat." Grabbing her hand and leading her over to the ring, he whispered assuring words to her. Although they made her feel somewhat better, it didn't solve the nervousness eating away in her lower belly.

"Wait here." he said as he gestured to the picnic table where few people sat. When he had turned and left her alone, she sat down and played with her hands on her lap. This was the type of thing she didn't like, being alone in a large crowd of people. If she wanted to be home, she would have went home, at least there she would have been comfortable with a book.

The people- women- sitting there glared at her then got up to move to another bench. Suddenly, she felt someone sit down next to her. "How you enjoying the party, Sweet Pea?" the older man from earlier asked. "See you and Jax became friends pretty quick. What's goin on there? Some of the guys are goin' around saying y'all are knockin' boots. That true?"

"Knocking boots?" Gia asked, cocking her head to the side. Never had she heard the phrase before in her life. But when the old man had broke out in a creepy smile did she realize. "O-Oh!" she huffed. "I don't even know him like that. We just met. I don't even think he's my type?"

"Jackson is every woman's type." He chuckled, and extended his hand. "Piney Winston. And you, Sweet Pea?"

Gia smiled at the mans deep chuckle, feeling like she was spending her Summer in Greece like she used to. Her Pappoús would throw his head back and bark out a deep throaty chuckle. "Gia Glaros... You know, you really remind me of my Pappoús.. or Grandfather. He used to laugh just like me. He used to call me 'Glykó Korítsi', or 'Sweet Girl'. So you can imagine 'Sweet Pea' would remind me of him."

"Ahhhh, Greek." Piney said as he adjusted hiself in the seat so he want turned towards her. "I used to date this one woman from Greece. God..." he trailed off. Gia could tell he was reliving some of his glory days. From the look of his face, she could tell that this woman meant so much. She couldn't help but pity him as his face twisted up in sadness. "Her name was Athena. She had the most beautiful long wavy black hair... like yours. We'd met on the beach in Greece... don't ask me why I was there. She'd fallen head over heels for me. The only problem was that I had to return back to the states, and she was due to get married."

"How'd you deal with it?"

"Drank myself stupid." Sighing, he shook his head, clearing chastising himself. "Was my first true love. Sometimes, I can still her. I can.. still feel her wavy hair between my fingers." And just like that, he'd gone from having his face twisting up in sadness to throwing his head back with laughter. "She used to call me something in Greek..." he began to snap his fingers, as if trying to make himself remember. "Lover! Used to call me 'Lover' but for the life of me, I can't remember it in Greek."

"Erastís." she said, the word rolling off her tongue effortlessly.

"Erastís... Erastís.. " he whispered repeatily.

"Hey Darlin', got you a front row seat." Jax said as he approached the picnic table he had left her sitting at a few moments ago. "You won't want to miss this fight." Flashing her what she could tell was his million dollar smile, he pulled her up off the bench and into the crowd.

The many people surrounding them stopped and turned to watch them as they made their way to the ring. The many women standing around or perched in the laps of men glared at her. The men held up their cups or beer bottles as they passed, cheering to the man that was pulling her along. "Don't pay attention to those girls, Darlin'. They're just jealous." he threw over his shoulder.

"They really shouldn't be." she stated. "There's nothing on between us. If they're mad becuse I'm with you right now, they can come steal you away. I don't mind."

Jax stayed quiet, anger rising in the pit of his stomach. He would obviously mind if it was the other way around. If the men were jealous of him being with a beautiful woman like Gia, they would just have to deal. There no man, or hell even a woman, on this lot that he would let steal her attention from him. "Over my dead body."

After they'd watch Tig and Koz beat each shitless in the ring, Gia had decided that it was finally time for her to leave. "Hope you get time to try my samples. Made them specifically for this party. And seeing how this is your party, you should be able to enjoy them, right?"

Jax smiled and nodded. Opening her car door for her, he watched as she slid into the drivers seat. "Grand opening is next week right? I'll make sure that the guys and I make an apperance and show some support."

Turning the key into the ignition, she thanked him. "Bye Jax." she said, brushing hair out of her face. "I had fun tonight. Thank you for convincing me to stay."

"Of course Darlin'. That's what I'm here for. To show people a good time. What kind of host would I be?" he said, flashing her another charming smile. "Drive safe." Patting the hood of her Range Rover, he backed away and watched her pull out of the lot.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N (( So I've realized that I never really thought about a updating schedule. I've decided that I'm going to upload the chapters as soon as the chapter that comes after those are at least halfway finished. Maybe... every other day? It gives me time to know what direction I'm going in and for me to just be over all confident. Does all that make sense?**

**Also, during the weekends, I'll try to upload each day? That's still an idea that I'm bouncing around my head.**

**I do not own Jax or Opie. I simply own my own characters Gia and Valerie.))**

* * *

"Have fun last night?" Opie asked as his best friend walked out from the dorm rooms.

"A party fit for a King." Jax grinned, clapping him on the back. "Was a little disappointed my Vice President couldn't make it last night. How did being a family man go for you last night? You at least get _some _pussy?"

Opie chuckled and ran a hand through his long, straight hair. "Kenny got sick last night, started throwin' up everywhere. Swear he cockblocked me on purpose. Asked if Lyla would sleep with him last night. Swear I can't get even a little taste in my own goddamn house, Brother."

"You wanted kids, Brother." Jax said as he smiled. "Been wanting to be a family man for as long as I could remember. You havin' doubts all of a sudden?"

"Not a chance. Can't stand 'em sometimes, but couldn't live without them if I tried." Opie began patting his pockets. "Ellie tried on her cheer uniform the other day. I know I got pictures on me somewhere... You gotta see it."

Rolling his eyes and holding his hands up, Jax shook his head. "I'm good, Brother. Last time I let you pull out some pictures, you started cryin'. I think I'll pass this time."

Opie snorted. "It'll be a completely different story when you have kids of your own Jackson. Matter of fact, heard from Bobby this morning you got you a girl? Told me you spend the whole night of _your_ party entertaining her. Got her food, held her hand." Wigging his eyebrows, he nudged Jax. "Somethin' I should know, Brother. Should I break out my best suit for the wedding? I'm your best man, right?"

"Asshole.." Jax muttered and wandered off to get ready for his shift in the garage. He swore the guys in this damn clubhouse gossiped so much more than high school girls. He couldn't be around a girl for more than a few seconds without them thinking he was hitting it. But... most of the time they were right. There wasn't a woman at any of these parties that he hadn't taken to bed, he was sure of that. It was either that, or his intentions were of that.

Not Gia though, she was different. He could tell she wasn't going to let herself get fucked over. He could tell she worked hard to get where she was. Ultimately, she was focused. With that in mind. Jax knew that she wouldn't allow herself to get distracted by any man at this moment in time. And as much as he wanted her to throw herself his way, he wasn't going to be the cause of her hating herself for getting off track. No matter how attracted he was to her, he wasn't going be that cause.

Even though he wanted to run his fingers through her long wavy dark brown hair. To take the random blonde stands and twirl them around his fingers as they lay in bed together.

Nope.

Or how he wanted to wrap legs around his waist as he pushed himself as deep he could go. Maybe have her squeeze his face with her firm thighs as he-

Goddammit Jackson. Get your shit together.

* * *

Rain pitter-pattered against the display windows at the front of the store, causing Gia to let out a fustrated groan. It was the day of the grand opening for Gia's Sweet Treats and it was fucking raining. Could today get any worst? She had discovered that some of the display stands have broken in their boxes, leaving her to go on a store trip that she really couldn't afford the time for today.

And then it started raining.

Needless to say, she was sitting at one of the tables checking her watch every five minutes. It was already six o'clock, a whole hour after the bakery officially opened it's doors to the public. But not one person had come it. She'd watched for an hour as they all scrambled to and from all the stores around her then returned to their cars and drove off. They didn't even spare her store a single glance. What had she thought would have happened anyway? The whole town would have been lining down the block just to buy one of the pastries? No, surely they wouldn't have. But at least a few would have shown up to get a look at the new addition on Main?

After mentally telling herself '_Fuck It,'_ she stood up from the lounge chair and made her way to the 'We're Open' sign, ready to turn it over. Suddenly, the ground began to shake as she heard the unmistakable sound of motorcycles. In New York, she would see the occasional Harley, or whatever they were called, as she made her commute to and from work.

Gia gasped as she recognized Jax swing his leg over the bike and give her a small wave. She should have known that he would've been true to his word. She was glad that he brought the guys to come out and support, it meant that he really did care. She couldn't help it, really, but her stomach filled with butterflies. Just the fact that he came sent a surge of happiness through her.

On the other hand, she was embarrassed. As she looked around the store, it was completely empty. There had been no customers whatsoever. What if he laughed? What if he thought she was some sort of failure? She already had those feelings herself, she didn't need him or the others thinking it.

The jingling of the bell above the door brought her back to reality. "Hey Jax, you made it."

Pulling his gloves and stuffing them in the back of his pockets. He slightly waved to the guys to stay outside. "Said I would, didn't I?" Looking around the store, his face twisted up in confusion. "I thought the opening started at five?"

"It did." she laughed nervously and scratched the back of her head. Looking around to try to create some sort of diversion, she gestured to the display glass. "Wanna be my first customer? I don't know if everything is still warm from the oven, but I can assure you they're still good!"

"Can you assure me that you're okay?"

"I don't know what you mean.." she said as she fiddled with the unfolded pastry boxes. "So what do you want? We got a whole bunch of stuff. Here." handing him a folded menu, she forced a smile and nodded.

"Gia.."

"Have you decided?"

"...Gia."

"The pumpkin pie is delicious."

"Gia!" he shouted, slamming down the menu onto the display case. "Stop acting as if everything is okay when I know it's not. I can tell that you're upset about it. Now talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about, Jax. Nobody came to my Grand Opening, so what? I might as well just accept it and move on. There's nothing I can do!" She pushed the menu back towards him over the case. "Now have you decided what you're gonna get?" They stood staring at each other for what felt like hours. Neither made the choice to turn the head away, silently hoping the other would.

Jax rolled his eyes and fiddled with his prepay. This was exactly why he didn't date or have an Old Lady. He didn't need another moody and opinionated woman in his life, he already had his mother for that.

The bell above the door began to jingle as Valerie pushed open the door. Stopping in her tracks, she surveyed the two people in the room. "You sure could cut the tension in here like a knife." she said. "The thing is... what kind of tension?" Grinning, Valerie plucked a menu from one of the tables and began to fan herself. "Don't think I've met you before, Sugar. What's your name?" she began twirling her blonde hair around her index finger, batting her eyelashes at him.

Raising a brow, Jax gave a small smile, unsure of how to react to the woman. "Jax."

Gia rolled her eyes. Valerie was turning up the charm to full blast. For as long as they knew each other, she could recognize when she was letting lust control her body. Although she had been reluctant to admit it before, her best friend was always acting like a slut.

"Jax, huh?" Valerie bit an acrylic name and bent over the table, giving him a full view of her breast, the ones she _paid for._ "We'll I'm Valerie." she winked. "Now what's going on in here? What did I miss? Is there some sort of lover's quarrell I should know about? Wow Gia, I can't believe you didn't tell me about your new... man. I thought we were best friends."

"We are.." Gia muttered. "It's just that he isn't my 'man.' He's only a friend. A friend that came to support the opening of the shop, is that alright with you?"

Valerie's eyes lit up at the sound of 'just friends.' She was more than willing to back off if Gia said they were together. But know that she had established that they were just friends, it meant that Valerie could have some sort of relationship, mainly sexual, and not have it effect her friendship with Gia. "That is perfectly fine with me. What about you, Sugar? Is it true y'all are just friends? 'Cause she might say one thing, and you say another." Cupping her ear, Valerie leaned closer to him, waiting for him to speak. "C'mon Sugar. I gotta know."

Stone faced, Jax nodded. "Yeah, she's right." Clearing his throat, he turned to Gia and tapped on the glass. "I'll take a cinnamon roll. I'll send the guys in as soon as I step out."

Gia, thrown off by his cold shoulder, nodded. Without hesitation she plucked his request from inside the display and placed it inside the wrapper. "Is that all?" she asked, not getting an answer as he fished out his wallet from his pocket. "Oh god, Jax. I can't take this." she said as she stared wide eyed at the hundred dollar bill he'd handed her. But when she reached out to hand it back to him, he was already at the door, pulling it open. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Bitch.." Valerie snorted. "Of course you did! Aren't you wandering why I didn't just jump his bones right here and now? You said he was just a friend, and although he said it was true, his face and body language was saying the complete opposite. God, are you really that stupid, Gia?"

"I'm afraid to answer that." Gia muttered, her face twisted up in confusion. What had just happened? Both her and Jax agreed that they were simply just friends. Wasn't it obvious from the beginning? He had tried to kill her! How they were even friends, she didn't know. But could he really have thought they were something more? Did she give off a vibe that made him think she wanted them to be more than they were? No. He may have been attractive, shit of course he was. But she wasn't interested in a relationship right now. And quite frankly, not one with him. Don't get her wrong, she was sure any woman would be lucky to have him. But she wasn't that woman. Obviously. "You're such a liar, Val."

Rolling her green eyes, Valerie threw her hair over her shoulder. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, sister." Clapping her hands, she smiled at her best friend. "What would you like me to start.. Boss."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N (( So you know how I said I would try to update everyday on the weekends? Weeeellll, this weekend I'm going to be pretty busy, so you guys might just have to wait until Monday or Tuesday, I'm not sure yet. BUT, Here I am posting another chapter for the second day in a row. But just remember like I said, I'm not so sure what day I'm going to post the next chapter. It might even be on Sunday. Just have faiiith! **

**More reviews means more chapters.**

******I do not own Jax or Opie. I simply own my own characters Gia and Valerie.** ))

* * *

"Did I really have to wear this, Val?" Gia asked as she pointed at her black dress. The dress would have been otherwise see through if the designer hadn't added beadery to cover the private areas. "I feel like I'm showing way too much."

"You look fine!" Valerie snapped as she pulled the key out of the ignition. She grit her teeth to resist the urge of slamming her face into the steering wheel. Gia was her best friend and everything, but sometimes the '_Are you sure I look okay?_' questions got annoying. She always wondered why it was that Gia doubted their relationship. Did she really think she would put her in an outfit where she didn't look good? Really?

Shrugging, Gia slammed the car door shut. She took a deep breath, willing herself to work up the courage to walk up the stone pathway to the huge house and ring the doorbell. The house looked intimidating on its own, but the people that were on the inside made her so much more nervous. When Valerie had said she was going to drag her to a small gathering, Gia thought that it would be a few people that Valerie knew. But no, it was a huge house party that Val had gotten invited to by some guy she had hooked up with at the bar.

God, it was high school all over again. Back over in New York, Valerie got invited to all the parties by the guys she gave up her 'cookie' to. And then there was Gia, the awkward girl who'd rather sit at home and read a cook book. She understood the love Val had for her, but did she really have to take her to every single party she was invited to? If she knew that she was going to be off in some room with a guy she hardly knew, she wouldn't have bothered to drag Gia just to leave her by herself.

"Tell me something, Gia." Valerie asked as they linked arms while they walked up the driveway. "How many times have we done this together? Do you think that I would make you look bad just to make myself look better? Of course not, because you know what? You are a reflection of me. If you look bad, I look bad. We're a unit, Gia."

"Oh thanks, that makes me feel so much better." Gia muttered sarcastically.

Waving her hand nonchalantly, Valerie grinned. "You know I love you Gia."

And with that she was gone as soon as the walked in the front door of the house. Gia sighed, knowing full well this was going to happened. None of this was new for her. Sitting down on an empty bar stool, she checked the time on her phone. It was only nine o'clock, meaning that they'd be there for at least three more hours. Well at least Valerie was having fun, right? "Can I have a Strawberry Margarita, please?" She asked the bartender, who nodded as he pulled out the neccesary materials.

"Put that on my tab, Mark." A deep voice from beside her said.

Gia turned to meet the eyes of the voice beside her. Wearing a white button up shirt and slacks was a very good looking man. His messy brown hair looked as if he'd spent hours running his large fingers through the short strands. "That's not necessary, but thank you anyway."

"Oh no no no, let me get this for you." Rubbing a hand over his short beard, he flashed her a charming grin. "It's the least I could do for a beautiful woman all alone at the bar. I saw your friend run off early. Sucks she left you alone, huh?"

Gia shrugged as she lifted the alcoholic beverage up to her lips. "It's something you learn to deal with, I guess. Been doing that same thing to me since we were fifteen. I don't mind really. It gives me the time to sit alone and think. Most of the time I just sit alone in the car. Unfortunately, this time she took the keys with her."

Raising a brow, he took a sip of his beer as he listened to her, his eyes gazed falling onto her lips. "Parties aren't really your scene, are they?"

"Nope. I'm kind of embarrassed to say this, but I would prefer to stay home and bake. Is that so wrong?" she asked, biting her lip.

Chuckling, he shook his head. "Of course not! I admire a woman who would rather stay in and do something that makes her happy." Leaning in, he whispered. "And to be honest, I'd rather stay and home and play with my cat, Ruby."

Gia began to giggle uncontrollably. She had never in her life seen a man that owned a cat or was so willing to admit it to a complete stranger. She couldn't help but draw two conclusions from the statement: One, either he was gay and was just looking for a friend to talk to. Or two, he was in a relationship with some woman and the cat was hers. If that was true, then why would he be at this party? Wouldn't he prefer to be with her and their cat at their house? Or maybe prefer to be with her here?

"I know what you're thinking." he stated. "To answer your questions that you may not be asking, I'm not gay. My cat, Ruby, really isn't my cat. She's actually my mom's. But lately my mom has been really busy and just passed her onto me, not that I mind, she's pretty smart. Now, I understand if you want to finish off you margarita and then hightail it out of her. I usually get that response with all the women I admit this to. I just rather put that on the table when I first meet a pretty woman that I'd like to take on a date."

"O-Oh. I'll admit that I did think that about you. But now that you've explained yourself, it makes perfect sense. I swear to you, I'm not thinking of making any sudden movements towards the door. If I was, I would have been gone a long time ago. Don't be fooled by these tall heels, I can move pretty fast if need be."

* * *

"Romeo, Luis. Nice to see you two gentlemen on short notice." Jax spoke as the two men stepped out of the grey Hummer.

"Mr Teller." Romeo nodded as they shook hands. "Got a sense of urgency when we spoke over the phone. What is it that we can help you with?"

"It's a rough time for the club right now." he stated. "We're going to need to bring in an even greater cash flow. We were wondering if you gentlemen still had that offer on the table for us to haul back even more coke." The club had taken a hit when Cara Cara had been invaded by the ATF just a few short weeks ago. Now with the gun supply line slowing down, most of their income had decreased. "Bet you guys understand that the demand for guns on the street are a little low right now."

"We understand." Luis spoke up. "We can add about thirty more keys of coke to the sixty that you guys are already hauling. That'll be an extra thirty thousand we're paying. We'll even throw in another ten thousand just to ensure you of how much we value your business."

As he smiled, Jax clapped his hands together. "And we value your business as well." After the three men shook hands once more and he turned to mount his bike Romeo callled out to him.

"We need you to reach out to the President of the Mayan, Alvarez. We've gotten word that there is a member of his club that his been feeding informtion to the Lobos Senoras. This isn't good for us, seeing as he was at our last meet. The Lobos bombed one of our shipments that thankfully you guys weren't hauling. We don't the same happening to you. We need for you to tell him to dig deeper into their connect then terminate it." he said.

Jax sighed deeply, this was the last thing they needed. There was obvious dangers to hauling the coke by itself, but the club damn sure didn't need the threat of having the impending threat of being ambushed. Slidding his gloves on, he simply said. "We'll take of it."

"Should I call for Church, brother?" Juice asked as swung their legs over their Dynas. He'd been sitting on the sidelines watching the meeting. When Jax had returned to his bike, he could tell something had gone down during the meeting. What exactly it was, he didn't know. But it was obvious it wasn't good.

"Yeah.." Jax mumbled. "Tell them to be there waiting in the Chapel by the time we get there." Without waiting for the Intelligence Officer to respond, he kicked started his bike and took off down the road. Looking in the mirror, he saw Juice punching in numbers on his prepaid phone. Although he had much to worry about, he willed himself to take a deep breath and forget about it all. Right now all that mattered was him, his bike, and the road he was flying down.

But that was easier said than done.

Ever so often, his mind would wander to the short beautiful Greek woman that had been occupying his thoughts recently. She'd made it clear to her friend, and to him, that they were just friends, that she didn't want to take it there. He didn't understand why it had taken such a toll on him. Why was that answer replaying over and over in his mind when he really shouldn't be giving a damn?

In all honesty, he should have been happy. He had for so long been saying that he wasn't the one for a serious relationship. He damn sure wasn't a family man, told himself he wouldn't be. A month ago he would have been relieved that she didn't have false thoughts in her head about them. This would have been just how we wanted her.

But right now, it's not.

"Hey Jax, the guys are in the Chapel waiting for you." Ratboy said as soon as Jax cut the engine off.

"Thanks, Prospect." he muttered, making his way to the clubhouse.

Inside, the guys were chatting among themselves, but became silent as soon as he closed he chapel doors. Juice, who'd had arrived a few short minutes before Jax had, passed a box of cigarettes to Jax as he sat down at the head of the table.

"Let's get started then." Jax said as he lit the cigarette. "Just got back from a meeting with Romeo Parada and Luis Torres. Made a deal with them to add thirty keys to our haul, and they would pay us four thousand ontop of what they're already giving us. Thoughts?"

"The club is in a hard time right now, Brother." Bobby said. "This could be good for us. We need this money."

"But at what cost?" Chibs asked. "It's already hard as it is, Pres. What comes with adding more?"

"But the money ain't too bad, Chibs." Tig said. "And like Bobby said, we could really benefit from this. I think that it's worth it. We've got this, Brothers."

"Also," Jax paused, not knowing how to bring up the Lobos subject. "There's a rat in the Mayans. Oakland charter, right under Alvarez's nose. Someone has been coming to our meets with the Cartel and feeding the information back to the Lobos. One of the shipments we weren't running was bombed by them. This could possibly be a danger for us. That's the only thing against this new deal."

"How do we go about it?" Opie asked. "We can't allow ourselves to be put in that line of danger. Is it worth it, Jax? Is forty thousand more dollars really worth possibly getting a member killed? Maybe multiple?"

"I think that if we take care of this problem before we start this new deal, we'll be fine." Jax stated. Besides, I was thinking we'd only take on this extra haul just temporarily. It wouldn't be permanent, just until the gun business booms again and Cara Cara is free to open again." Sighing, he leaned back in his chair. "Let's vote it." The table errupted in yays that overpowered the nays. "That settles it, now go drown yourselves in pussy and booze."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N (( I just want to take a moment to thank you guys for being the best readers in the whole entire universe. You guys leave such positive comments that help me out as a person and a writer. Thank you guys for giving me the inspiration to keep on writing these stories and knowing that there are people on here that I'm entertaining. You guys make it all worth it.**

** I do not own Jax or any Samcro members even though I really wished I did. I only own my own characters such as Gia, her family, Valerie, and Owen.))**

* * *

Gia sighed as she wrapped the plush white towel around her body. The past few days had been a blur for her. The business was finally taking off, customers coming in left and right to get their hands on her sweets. A booming business obviously meant staying later at the bakery, something she didn't mind at all. But not only did she have late night shifts, every night since the party a week ago, the guy she met sitting at the bar had called her.

She had come to get to know the loner at the party, Owen Parker. They'd spent hours sitting at the bar talking while she waited for Valerie to finish with her new boy toy of the week. Owen had spilled his whole life story to her, which surprisingly didn't have her running for the hills like most girls would have.

He was a doctor, a gynecologist to be specific. He'd made it clear that St. Thomas had made him an offer he couldn't refuse, making him move across the country from Pennsylvania. To him, the commute didn't matter. He was born in California after all. But after a sloppy divorce between his parents, oddly his father packed him up and the rest was history. Now that his father had died, the unfortunate victim of an heart attack, there was no need for him to stay on that side of the country. He'd had no girlfriend and no kids whatsoever, just being a man determined to thrive in his profession. This higher calling allowed him to be closer to his mother, the woman he'd barely known.

It had been an information overload. Gia had never had some stranger open up to her in a such environment. She couldn't say that it wasn't nice, of course it was. A man, an attractive man, was serious about pursuing a relationship with her that he laid all his cards on the table. He was perfect, was every straight woman's dream man. But why was she feeling like there was something missing there?

He was not, she was sure, Jackson Teller.

Owen didn't have the slicked back blonde hair. He didn't wear flannels, or baggy jeans. For sure Owen did not wear white sneakers or rode a motorcycle. No, his brown hair had looked like he'd spent hours running his fingers threw it. Owen wore designer suits with designer ties and button up shirts. He traded in the sneakers for black dress shoes that matched his outfits. And when they'd walked out the party together, he had slid into his own expensive convertible.

The ringing of her cell phone had pulled her from her thoughts. She silently thanked whoever was on the other line for the distraction from the same thoughts she had stuck in her head all week. "Hello?" she spoke softly into the phone, not even checking the caller ID.

"Good morning." Owen's deep voice spoke from the other end. Although it had been nine o'clock in the morning, he'd sounded like he'd been up for hours.

Gia wasn't expecting to hear from him so soon, especially since they had literally gotten off the phone twelve hours ago. "Oh, Owen. Good morning to you too. How are you?" She may have sounded like she wanted to hear from him, she was feeling the complete opposite. She found herself rolling her eyes at the faux tone.

"Ah, I'm doing pretty great. Woke up early this morning and went for a nice long run before I had to be here in the hospital for my appointments- Excuse me a moment." he said. She could hear him talking in hushed voices with someone and thought about hanging up the phone. "Sorry about that, a nurse was telling me I'm needed in the operating room soon. Before I go though, I wanted to ask you out to dinner tonight. Say eight o'clock?"

"That sounds... lovely, but.." She said, racking her brain for a excuse. "Today is my day off and Valerie is dragging me off shopping today. Usually we take forever. So I don't what time I'll be finished and I wouldn't want to make a promise I can't keep. Especially since I already made one to her, you know?"

"I understand one hundred percent." he said, disappointment laced in his voice. "But if you just so happen to find the time, give me a call. I have nothing to do after work anyway, any time is fine with me. Have a great day."

"You too." Gia said as she hung up the phone. That had not gone according to plan like she hoped. She didn't feel bad at all, just annoyed. She was telling the truth about Valerie. She had earlier in the week promised that they would go shopping. However, she'd been told that Val had to be hope by six o'clock for a date with some new man.

Screaming into her pillow, Gia threw herself onto her bed as she tried to figure out what she was going to do.

* * *

"How could you be so stupid?!" Valerie exclaimed.

Gia sighed, this was exactly why she was hesitant to tell Val about her phone conversation with Owen earlier. She already felt bad about her lack of desire to go out with him, she didn't need the stares she was receiving right now. "Val, please don't do this."

"Don't do what?" she asked as she returned back to frosting the large wedding cake. "I was just asking a question."

"You're making me feel even worse than I already do." Gia whined.

"Don't whine. It really isn't all that attractive." Valerie sighed as she looked over her shoulder at her best friend. She hadn't meant for her words to put her down. She may have had an opinion about the situation, but it was her job as a best friend to make sure was feeling okay. "Look.." she started. "I'm not going to say that I agree with what you told him, but I honest to god didn't mean for you to feel worse. I just think that you should have given him a chance."

"I know." she muttered. "It's just that something doesn't seem right. He just seems like he's too... perfect. You know what I mean?"

Scoffing, Valerie licked the frosting off her fingers. "You're kidding me, right?" she asked, waiting for her friend to say yes. "Gia! There's no such thing as 'too perfect.' You know what I think? I think that since it's been way to long since you've had a man in your life, you're scared. You're scared that you're going to go out on a date with him and fall madly in love. Don't say it's not true!"

Gia rolled her eyes. It was undeniable that Val did have a point. She had never thought about the whole situation that way. Maybe she was scared? This man was everything any girl would want. He had a nice job, car, just generally a good life. What woman in her right mind wouldn't want that? Maybe she was scared that she could possibly be going on a dinner date with a man she could be spending the rest of her life with.

"Are you ready?" she asked. "We should head out pretty soon. Especially if we want to get all the good clothes before they're gone."

Valerie nodded and began packing up the cake she had just finished. "Of course babe. Go and wait in the car, I'll be done in a second."

Gia pulled the plastic gloves off of her hands and tossed them in the waste bin. She heard the faint sound of the bell above the door ringing as she made her way out to the front of the shop. Standing there like the Queen she knew she was, Gemma was talking quietly to two blonde women while waiting for someone to come to the front. "Hey Gemma, it's nice to see you again."

"Hey baby girl!" Gemma said as she turned from the two woman. "The girls and I were out and about today and I just decided I should come and check out your place."

Gia smiled at the woman as she began packing up her bag. "Is there anything you wanted to buy? I'm actually closing up shop early today because I have a girls day with my friend today. We'll be open all day tomorrow if you want to come back."

"Oh no need, Darlin'." Gemma said as she held her hand up. "I was just wonderin' if you'd be able to make somethin' for my husband. It's his birthday on Friday and was lookin' around town for someone to do his favorite, Strawberry Shortcake. Ya' think that will doable Darlin'?"

Gia nodded and made her way to the register and the stack of receipts. She mumbled something that the three woman couldn't understand as she scribbled the order down hastily. When she finished, she looked up and smiled at the three women, and flashed the slip of paper. "I'll have it done by Friday and delivered to the same place as last time?"

"Same place, Darlin'." Gemma said as she started to make her way out of the door. "Oh, and I'm countin' on you. Make this one the best my husband has ever had. It's been a tough few weeks for him."

"Of course."

Gia ushered Gemma and the women, who hadn't said a word, out of the door and out to Gemma's large Escalade truck. After watching them pull away from the curb and out of sight, she sighed. It wasn't a problem that she was making this cake for Gemma and her husband, it was who she was going to see when she dropped it off. Since her last encounter with the President of the MC, she was a little hesitant to come face to face with Jax again. He'd given her the cold shoulder for what she felt was no reason whatsoever. She didn't want to experience that again.

When she returned back into the shop, Valerie was leaning against the counter, waiting for her return. "Who was that?" she asked. "Looked like you couldn't wait to get her out of here."

"Gemma Teller-Morrow." she said matter of factly. "Met her about two weeks ago before I opened the shop. She was kind enough to let me bring some samples to one of her parties. Come to find out she's Jax's mom." Laughing slightly, Gia busied herself with slinging her bag over her shoulder and juggling her keys in her palm. "She's a nice woman, she really is. It's just that with how things are going with Jax right now, I kind of prefer that I don't have any connection with her that could lead to me seeing him."

Valerie flashed her 'I Told You So' face but didn't push the subject any further. She could tell her best friend just wasn't in the mood to talk about the 'Jax' subject anytime soon. Instead, though, she chose to wait in the car while Gia began to lock up the shop. When she was alone in the car, she took up the time to find the address of the auto shop she knew Jax would be at.

* * *

The laughter of the men who were supposed to be working made Jax roll his eyes. Leave it to the club members to distract each other while they were supposed to be making an honest living. Shaking his head, he smiled. He used to be one of them. Not taking work seriously, laughing and joking with his fellow brothers or coworkers. He'd had the time of his life. But where did all that go? Why was he acting like some uptight prick lately.

"Hand me a beer, would ya'?" he said as he approached the group of guys gossiping like a group of females. "What we talkin' about?"

"See that sexy little thang over there, Jackie Boy?" Chibs asked, pointing to a familiar tall blonde. "She's been leaning against that car for the last thirty minutes waiting ta talk to ya'." Clapping his brother on the back, he laughed. "Was gonna tell ya', but then thought about that beautiful girl ya' were chatting up at tha' party."

The tall blonde leaning against her car had looked familiar, but he just didn't know where from. Ignoring their comments about Gia, he wiped his hands on a grease stained clothed and began to walk towards her car. "Can I help you, Darlin'?" he asked as he got close enough to see his reflection through her shades.

"Yes you can, Sugar." she said as she slipped her shades down her nose, her green eyes sparkling. "You must remember me, right? That rainy day you came by the Bakery to talk to Gia, I was there. Valerie...?"

That's right, Gia's slutty friend who had tried to come on to him. He had known he knew her from somewhere, but up until now couldn't put his finger on it. To be honest, she wasn't all that memorable like she tried to come across. She was just another blonde woman that was attractive. Same story, different day. "Yeah, I remember." he said dryly. "What is it that you want? I'm actually working right now."

"Oh calm down, Sugar. I'm not here to try and have.. relations with you." Valerie said as she faked a laughed. "Although I'm sure it would be nice, I don't think it's something that we both want. I'm actually here about Gia, or rather your relationship with Gia."

"We're just friends." he grunted out through gritted teeth. "There's nothing else to the story."

Rolling her eyes, Valerie laughed again. It was obvious that she could see directly through his facade. "You really think I'm that stupid, Sugar? Gia may be dumb enough to believe what you're saying is true, but I'm not. I saw the way you were looking right at her. It wasn't with lust or sexual desire, I know those looks."

"Then how was I looking at her?" he asked. It was clear through his facial expression that she'd hit the nail on the head. She was spot on.

"Sugar, sugar, sugar." she tsked. "You have the biggest crush on my best friend, it's a wonder how she doesn't see it. Now, tell me why you didn't admit your feelings to her. You scared? You think she's going to reject you? That she's going to rip your heart out and stomp on it? 'Cause I can assure you that she's not. But what I can assure you is this, that's exactly how she thinks she's feeling for this guy she's about to go on a date with."

"Date?" he asked. His face was twisted up with a mix of emotions. He didn't know whether to be angry, sad, jealous, or confused. He knew from the second that he began to walk up to this woman that he should have turned around and continued to work. Fuck, he really needs to start listening to his gut feelings.

"That's what I thought." Valerie said as she pushed her sunglasses back into place, sliding into the drivers side of her vehicle. "Step into my office Mr. Teller." she said before she slammed the driver's side door shut.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N (( You guys ar amazing! Here's another chapter for you guys. I honestly think this was the best chapter in my opinion.**

******I do not own Jax or any Samcro members even though I really wished I did. I only own my own characters such as Gia, her family, Valerie, and Owen.))**

* * *

"So where are we going?" Jax asked as he slammed the passengers side door shut. It wasn't that he was nervous about where she was taking him, rather that he was wanting to know more about Gia. Who was this guy that she was going on a date with? What did that have to do with him? And why in the world had Valerie decided that he needed to know? It was not any of his business. But honestly he was grateful for the weird woman. He was glad that she could see something that Gia herself couldn't seem to see. She saw how he felt about her best friend and was here do something about it. She came to make sure it was his business who the hell she was out with.

"Don't worry about that right now, Sugar." Valerie said as she pulled out of the lot and out onto the street. "Now look here. I'm going to be telling you some things about Gia and what's going on in here life that I personally think you should no. But before I do just that, we're gonna have a little agreement. You will tell me the absolute truth, anything I want to know. You don't get the gossip until I know for sure you agree to it."

"Yeah, sure whatever." Jax mumbled. He didn't exactly hear what she said after she mentioned Gia's name. "Can you just get on with it?"

"Impatient now, aren't we?" Valerie smirked and shook her head. She opened her mouth to say something but stopped short, declaring it something that didn't need to be said. "Look, Gia is on her way to this restaurant to meet this guy, Owen. He's a good guy, a Gynecologist, which means he's got money. Really smart guy, close to his mom, blah blah blah. A real good guy, the type of guy Gia _should _be with."

"I don't see what this has to do with me, Darlin'."

"I'm getting there!" Valerie snapped as she made a sharp left turn onto the Main Street. "Like I said, he's a real good guy, but I can't help but feel like he's not the one for her even though he's totally her type. I did some reverse psychology on her to make her believe that she was just scared of getting her heart broken. In reality, we all know that she's secretly wanting to be with you instead of him. In some twisted way, the bad boy, which is you, is the perfect guy for her. She just doesn't know it."

"Bad boy?" Jax asked. "I don't know what you're talking about.."

Valerie scoffed and glared at him. "What did I say earlier, huh? I said complete honesty. I know all about your little club and gun running, even your little stints in prison. Yet, against my better judgement, here I am. I just want my friend to be happy, and you're the way she's going to be happy. Now, I'm not promising that she's gonna just get with you, it's going to take some time."

"And if she declines me as soon as I walk in?" Jax asked. "Then what do we do? Just give up."

"She's not gonna say no, she'll definitely be shaken up." Valerie sighed. "If I know my best friend like I think and know I do, you'll for sure plant a seed in her mind. And what happens to seeds that you plant? They grow."

Jax chuckled and shook his head. This Valerie character really was something else. In the back of his mind, he knew she'd make the perfect old lady. Sexy, smart, and caring. She showed him in the small ten minutes they'd been in the car that she was a ride or die, doing anything for her friends and family. He'd admired that, and honestly wished that she'd been the one that he'd had wanted to be with. But oh well, you can't change who you develop feelings for.

It was silent in the car for a while, a comfortable silence. They'd concentrated on the sound of the car on the street and the passing images of the scenery outside of their windows. Soon, Valerie sighed as she pulled into a restaurant parking lot, somewhere Jax wasn't familiar with. It was the type of place that the suit wearing locals decided to eat. It was under no circumstance the type of place a biker would be. "Why we here, Darlin'?"

Putting the car into park and taking the key out of the engine, she leaned back in her set and sighed. "Gia is in there with her date right now. You, my friend, are going to stroll in there casually and crash their date."

"That's not my type of place, Val." he stated. "What would I look like in there? What would I say if she asks me why I'm there? Can't say that I'm in there to get some dinner, now can I?"

"I swear I gotta do everything myself." Valerie rolled her eyes and opened her door. After a while, she bent down and stared at him through the window. "You gonna sit there all night or are you going to escort me to dinner?"

Jax cursed himself for ever getting into the car as he opened the door and stepped out. Rounding around the car and meeting up with Valerie, they walked through the front doors of the restaurant. The inside was packed with people, all of them either wearing a suit or dress. Immediately Jax began to feel uncomfortable. It was obvious to both him and the people dining that he didn't belong. Stuck out like a sore thumb, actually. "What's the plan?"

Valerie looked around the room and pointed to a table in the corner. "There they are." She thanked her lucky stars that they hadn't spotted the two of them walk through the door. They made this whole plan that much easier. "We'll sit ourselves, Thank you." she snapped at the matron as they passed. "Act natural." she whispered to Jax.

'Oh yeah, 'cause I just come here all the damn time,' Jax thought, rolling his eyes.

The closer they got to the table, the more his heart sped up in his chest. He'd never felt this other than when he was doing a job for the club. He laughed slightly on the inside. If the guys could see him now, losing his shit over some girl. He may have been the President now, but he sure was acting like a goddamm Prospect.

"Oh, Gia!" Valerie squealed with they where standing directly infront of their table. "I didn't know you were gonna be here tonight! What a conincidence, right Jax?" she said as she turned and glared at him, daring him to go against her. She returned her gaze to the couple when he nodded, a large smile planted on her face. "This must be Owen! God, you are to die for."

Gia was flabbergasted. She was in the middle of laughing at one of Owen's jokes, then suddenly Valerie and... Jax was standing before their table. "Valerie what are you doing here with.. Jax?" she asked, taking a sip of her wine. She was obviously shaken up with seeing the both of them together but didn't want them to know it. For as far as they both knew it, she had clearly stated that she and Jax were only friends. No need to pay any mind to them, right?

Owen stared back and forth between the couple and his date. There was obviously something going on that shouldn't. He didn't know if it was going on with this blonde woman, Valerie. Or if if was with the tall blonde man with his hair slicked back. Owen knew that this was planned. Nobody could deny that the man wouldn't have shown up at this restaurant on any given day. "What's going on here?"

"Yeah, that's what I'd like to know. I didn't know you guys were dating." Gia said, her tone leaning more to hurt than curiousity like she wanted it to be.

Valerie wrapped her arms around Jax's torso and giggled. "I mean, I kind of didn't want to at first, but then I came to my senses. Who wouldn't want to date Jax? He's sweet, charming, and super funny."

Jax inwardly rolled his eyes at her, she was doing way to much. But he had to hand it to her, she was a great actress. Although it may have been way to much, she made it seem like it was only part of her personality.

"Riiiight..." Gia dragged out. Then she had set down her wineglass and returned her attention to Owen. Without even sparing them a glance, she said "Well it was nice seeing you and I hope that you guys have a nice dinner. Anyway Owen, tell me about your job again."

"U-Uh.." Owen stuttered, flickering his gaze between his date and her friends. "Do you guys want to join us?" he asked. "We haven't got our food yet, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to move to a bigger table."

Valerie's eyes lit up, everything was falling into place. "That would be just... Phenomenal!" she squealed and gestured for the matron to come and escort them to their new table. Then as Owen and Gia stood up, Valerie dragged Owen by his arm to their new table, filling his ear with mindless chatter.

"I didn't know you had a thing for Valerie." Gia said to Jax as they walked side by side behind Valerie and Owen.

Jax smirked and placed a hand on the small of her back. Leaning down to her ear, he whispered. "You jealous, Darlin'?"

Shocked, Gia pushed him away by his chest. As she fiddled with her hoop earring, she shook her head. "Not all all. It's just that you didn't seem all that into her the other week at the bakery. You know, when she was throwing herself at you."

"Well let's just say that I caught her."

Stopping in her tracks, she glared at the back of his head as he continued on to their booth. Was this really happening right now? The other day at the bakery, he'd made it seem like he wasn't at all that interested in her when she introduced herself. He'd simply, in her opinion, been friendly and shook her hand. But here they are, on a date? She honestly didn't know how to feel, mad or sad? Betrayed? How could Valerie do this to her? She'd gone and said that she backed off because Jax had feelings for her. If that was true, then why was she here with him right now? Backstabbing Bitch.

"You gonna stand there all night or join us?" Jax asked as he threw his arm over Valerie's shoulders, who in turn snuggled herself into his chest. Smirking at her reaction, he turned and whispered something into Valerie's ear, making her giggle.

Gia huffed as she sat down next to Owen. She was over this whole night already. What she wanted right now was to get her food to go and have Owen drop her off at her house. She really wanted to be alone right about now. She didn't know who to trust anymore.

Gia rolled her eyes for what seemed like the fiftith time for the night. The group had just finished their food and were waiting for the check to make its way to their table. For the last hour, she had to endure listening to Valerie's high pitched giggles as Jax rubbed his beard against her face. Secretly, Gia hoped that somehow the friction between their faces would set his beard on fire... and Val's blonde hair.

"Let's go out and get some ice cream?" Owen asked. "I know this real good ice cream parlor." For the last hour he'd been having the time of his life. Gia wanted to throw when she found out how well he and Jax were getting along. He would ask Jax about motorcycles and in turn Jax would promise he would check out his convertible.

Gia rolled her eyes, again, and shook her head when everyone else agreed. "I'd rather not, I'm really tired."

"Okay, I'll take you home, then." Owen said. "Good food like this sure could take the energy right out of you."

"Yeah.." she mumbled. "Before we go, Valerie can you come with me to the ladies room?"

"What is it with women and going to the bathroom together?" Jax asked playfully, laughing along with Owen. The two hadn't given them a second glance as the two woman headed towards the bathroom on the other side of the restaurant.

"So how's your date with Owen?" Valerie asked as she pulled the door to the bathrooms open and stepped inside. "He seems like a real nice guy, really looks like he likes you too. And he's totally hot!" Valerie paused when she turned to see the expression on her best friends face, anger. "What's your problem?" she asked.

"You know exactly what my problem is." Gia accused. "What the hell are you doing here with Jax? I thought you weren't going to be involved with him, remember?" Gia felt tears prickling in the back of her eyes, but she willed them to stay inside. "But yet here you are, with Jax. Were you thinking that I wouldn't care? Damn Val, really?"

Valerie scoffed and leaned towards the mirror as she applied more lip gloss to her face. "What? We're two adults out on a date. What's the problem? Last time I checked, I didn't have to come to you and ask for your approval to on a date."

"But he's my friend-"

"Is that what's really going on here, Gia?" Standing chest to chest, Valerie's green eyes narrowed down at her best friend. "Or is it that you're jealous? You're jealous that here I am with a guy that you want to be here with? Admit it. Admit that you wished that it was you that had his arm wrapped around. Admit that you wish that he was the one that was giving you all this attention. Admit that you damn sure don't want to go home with Owen. No, you want Jax to take you home, don't you?"

"You're going home with Jax?" she asked.

Valerie shook her head and laughed, pushing past her towards the door. "God, you're so pathetic." she threw over her shoulder.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N (( Hey guys! I hope you guys had a wonderful Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Here's another chapter to celebrate.**

**Also, I'm going to be away for a few days, which sadly means no updates for a while. I'm sorry guys.**

**I do not own Jax or any Samcro members even though I really wished I did. I only own my own characters such as Gia, her family, Valerie, and Owen.))**

Translations:

Kátharma! - Son of a bitch  
Aftó tsoúla - That slut  
Aftós o malákas - That asshole

* * *

"Kátharma!" Gia shouted as slammed the door to her apartment. The hot tears behind her eyes were heavy, threatening the fall. But unlike back at the restaurant bathrooms, she finally allowed them to spill. At this moment she didn't care. Didn't care whether or not it messed up her makeup, who was going to come see her? And she damn sure didn't care if the whole building heard her sobs.

They'd have to deal with it.

Gia threw her strappy heels someone in her room as soon as she got them off her feet. Her vision blurred from the mixture of tears and mascara as she felt around the walls for the bathroom door. She decided as soon as she got out of Owen's car that she was going to come home and spend the rest of the night under the spray of hot water from her shower head.

As soon as her clothes were ripped off and she was standing under the shower head, she allowed her body to slide down the tile wall and to hug her knees. Her sobs grew louder than before, shaking her whole body. She was a fucking wreck. She couldn't help but replay Valerie's words over and over in her head.

'_God, you're so pathetic._'

Val was right, she was pathetic. She should have known that her best friend was a huge slut. She'd been around way too many times, here and in New York. Gia knew better than to trust a slut, she'd seen all the movies. All they do is come around and backstabb their friends when the opportunity jumps out at them. Fortunately for Valerie, she finally got her chance. "Aftó tsoúla." she whispered.

As for Jax... damn. What kind of guy sleeps with a the best friend of the girl he likes? They had to be sleeping with each other, they just had to. But as she thought about it more, she realized something. Obviously he didn't like her. If it were true, he would have never had any sort of relations with Valerie whatsoever. "Aftós o malákas." she spat.

Suddenly, she grew tired of sitting in the shower feeling sorry for herself. She would not, _could_ not be this type of girl. They fucked you over, Gia? Fine, then they're not going to be in your life anymore. Nodding to herself, she switched the shower off and wrapped herself in her bathrobe. Looking into the mirror, she stared at her horrific appearance. Although the shower had gotten rid of most of her makeup, she still had patches off some here and there. After washing her face, she made her way to the livingroom to watch a movie. She hoped that The Great Gatsby could keep her mind off of... everything else like it usually does.

Just after she pressed play on the remote, there was a knock on her door. Pausing the movie, she made her way to the door and looked through the peephole. On the other side of the door, they must have covered in in her hand since it was black. She scolded herself for not wrapping her hair in a towel as the cold air from the door swinging open hit her. "What the hell do you want?" she asked before her gaze locked with whoever was on the other side of the door.

Standing there in all glory was the very man she wasn't trying to think about. He had his hand tucked into his pockets was leaning against the doorface. "You gonna let me in Darlin'?" he asked with a small smile on his face.

"No." she said simply as she slammed the door in his face. Twisting the lock as fast as she could, she returned to her seat on the couch and turned up the volume to cover his voice from the other side of the door. She was proud of herself for coming across as confident as she did. The last thing she wanted was to give into his blue eyes and let him in. She knew just from the look of him that he would convince her to do anything he wanted just by staring deeply into her eyes.

Not today, Asshole.

"Guess I'll let myself in then." Jax said as he slid his knife back into its sheath on his waist. "What are we watching?" he asked as he threw himself down onto the couch next to her. His smile fell when he realized that she was glaring at him. "If looks could kill, eh Darlin'?"

Gia didn't say anything, just sat there glaring at him. Did he really have the audacity to break into her house after what happened tonight? He had to have at least known what he did wrong, right? "At this moment right now, I really _really_ wished they did. You know no idea."

"What's your problem?" he asked.

"You're kidding?" she asked. Why did everyone have the nerve to ask her what's wrong? First Valerie, then Owen, and now Jax fucking Teller. Was everyone who were at the restaurant tonight stupid or what? Scoffing when he shook his head, she paused the movie once again. "Uh, let's see. Well there was the fact that you took my best friend on a date tonight. Then you act like it was nothing when you joined me and my date at our table. You fucking acted like I wasn't there and that I wouldn't feel some sort of way. So I think that's my goddamn problem."

"That's it?" Jax threw his head back and laughed. "You're jealous 'cause I didn't pay any attention to you while I was on a date with Valerie? Last time I checked, I could date whoever the fuck I wanted to, Darlin'. Also, you were on a date on your own. Why do I gotta spend my night catering to your needs when that's your date's job?"

"You know what, you're right." she snapped. "You _can_ date whoever the hell you want, I don't really care. But you can't date or sleep with her! That is my fucking friend. Does that not mean anything to you?"

"No." he stated.

Gia picked up a pillow from the couch and burried her face into it, screaming. She was so glad that all the knvies and sharp objects weren't in a close radius to her, she knew she was capable of stabbing him right now. Why did he make it seem like she was crazy? She really wasn't, was she? Finally, she stopped screaming out her fustrations and began to think. God, she was crazy. He's literally making her go crazy. Lowering the pillow from her face, she tossed it back onto the couch. "You're so right." she mumbled. "You can let yourself out."

Jax looked at her with astonishment. Was that really it? She justs screams into a pillow and then it's over with? No, something for sure was wrong. She had come to some conclusion in the goddamn conclusion, and he fucking wanted to know what it was. "Not until you're telling me what's going on."

She shrugged. "Nothing. I have no idea what just happened. I'm not mad anymore. Like I said, you can let yourself out."

"Not until you tell me what's going on in the little head of yours, Darlin'."

"I have no right to be mad whatsoever." Gia said smiling. "We're just friends, right? I'm not your girlfriend, I don't get to regulate who you can see and who you can't see. So go ahead, date her, sleep with her, marry her. I really don't care. Now if you excuse me, I would really like to finish my movie in peace."

"Ohhhhh... I see." Jax breathed out, his mouth turning up into a smirk. Valerie's plan had worked. '_She'll definitely be shaken up.' _She was right, Gia was shaken up by the whole ordeal. They had successfully got into her head just like they wanted. "You're just jealous because you wished you were in her place. You're jealous because instead of being on a date with me like you want, you were stuck with boring Owen.

Gia's jaw dropped. How did he know? Did she give herself away with the sudden change of heart? God, she really needed to work on that. There were truth in his words, just like in Valerie's. '_Or is it that you're jealous? You're jealous that here I am with a guy that you want to be here with? Admit it. Admit that you wished that it was you that had his arm wrapped around. Admit that you wish that he was the one that was giving you all this attention. Admit that you damn sure don't want to go home with Owen. No, you want Jax to take you home, don't you?_'

"Guess I struck a nerve, didn't I?" he leaned forward and pulled her down onto the couch next to him. "Tell me what's really going on, Darlin'." he said softly.

She concentrated her gaze down to her hand, which was still clasped in his larger one. Sighing, she shook her head. "You'll think I'm stupid. Besides, you don't wanna hear the long, stupid story."

"Try me."

Gia took a deep breath and began. "The day you came to the grand opening of the bakery, Valerie had said some things to me. She told me that you lied when you agreed that we were just friends, that you had this look that said otherwise. I didn't believe her though. Then I go on this date with Owen and you guys show up together, I didn't know what to think. I was mad because she lied to me. She told me you had feelings for me and that she wasn't going to go after you. But there you both were. I just got a little jealous, I don't know why. We're only friends."

"How long you gonna keep that up?" he asked. "It's clear that there's something between us, Darlin.' You know it, I know it, even Valerie knows it. So stop with that whole 'we're just friends' crap, 'Cause it ain't true."

"If that's true, then why did you go on a date with Val? Were you trying to get back at me or something?"

"It ain't like that Darlin'. You'd think I'd do something like that to you?" he asked, running his hand over his gelled back hair. Tonight sure as hell wasn't turning out the way he wanted it to. He wanted to somehow convince here that he'd done the whole for her, for _them_. When he noticed that she was debating with herself over the answer, he pulled her into his lap. "Look into my eyes, what do those tell ya'?"

Perched in his lap with her hands on his shoulders, she stared into his eyes like he told her too. Right away she knew he was telling the truth, his soft blue eyes telling her so. He may have been telling the truth, but she still wanted answers as to what even happened today. "So what's it's like."

"Valerie," Jax paused and laughed to himself, the whole situation had started with the annoying blonde. She'd been right about everything though. "Showed up at the shop today asking for me. She a lawyer or somethin'? 'Cause she sure did a good job at callin' my bluff the whole time. Originally, it was just gonna be me bumping into ya', but then she took it a whole different direction."

Gia's eyes closed as she let out a sigh of relief. She had been wrong, so wrong. They were doing this so that she would realize she had everything she wanted right in front of her. "You... Asshole!" she exclaimed as she hit him in the chest. "You guys made me think that everyone I trusted had backstabbed me. I don't know whether to hit you or hug you."

Jax laughed, finally the ordeal was over. Now they could get to starting the relationship that he was sure they'd both dreaming of. "I have an idea, Darlin'." he said as he burried his hands in her drying wavy hair. He leaned forward and nuzzled her neck while placing soft kisses every so often. "You gonna kiss me first, or do I gotta make the first move?" he mumbled into her neck.

"I think it's only fit," she said. "Seeing as how you really made me upset today."

Jax shifted them on the couch so he was hovering above her. He leaned down, their lips barely touching. Gia had closed her eyes, waiting for him to finally bring their lips together. Jax smiled at the soft pants coming from between her lips, she was so ready. Just as the longing became unbearable, he finally brought his lips down on hers. The warmth of his mouth sent a current running through her body. Gia threw an arm around Jax's neck as the other balled up in his flannel. She lost herself in the taste of cigarettes and peppermint gum.

Before Jax got the opportunity to explore her body, the vibration in pocket pulled him away. "What?" he snapped as brought the prepaid up to his ear. "Fuck, I'm on my way." he mumbled. Lifting himself from the couch, he ran a hand down his face. "I gotta go Darlin', club shit."

Gia, who stood up as well, nodded in understanding. As she clutched her robe together, she walked him to the front door. "Will I see you later?" she asked softly as she leaned against the doorface.

He nodded frantically. There was no way in hell he was going to stay away from her for a while. He'd finally gotten what he wanted, he was going to finish what they started. "I'll call you before I come over." And with that, he was down the hall and waiting for the elevator to take him down to the first floor.

She closed the door softly, a grin forming on her face. It was just like she had thought it would be, sweet. His lips were soft and moist. His breath smelled like gum and cigarettes. And his hands, she sighed, they were the perfect mixture of soft and rough. His touches were gentle, almost as if he was afraid to hurt her. She rushed to the couch and picked up her phone, punching in numbers on the touch screen.

"If you're calling to give me shit, I swear to god I'm going to hang up on me." Valerie grumbled.

"Oh, shut up," Gia laughed. "Or else I'm not gonna tell you what just happened with Jax."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N (( Oh. My. God. I'm so sorry it took forever for me to get this chapter out! I went through this writer's block stage and then some problems with my family happened. I hope everyone had a great Christmas!**

**Also, I'm sorry for how short this chapter is going to be, but it was the best I could do for right now. I really wanted to get something out to you guys as soon as possible.**

**I do not own Jax or any members of Samcro, but I do own Gia, her family, Owen and Valerie.))**

* * *

Sunlight poured in from the window, turning Jax's eyelids an annoying shade of red. "Shit." he cursed as he mentally kicked himself in the head for not shutting the curtains the night before. As he came to, he remembered what happened last night. Dinner with Valerie to make Gia jealous. Going to Gia's house to see what her problem was. Leaving her house in a hurry to deal with club shit. It was what happened between the last two memories that brought a smile to his face. Gia had finally allowed him to make a move on her.

Thrusting a fist in the air like some teenage boy, he rolled out of bed. It was early, almost ten thirty in the morning. After shrugging on the first clean looking clothes he could find, he made his way out of the room to search for someone awake. Making his way into the main room of the club house, he noticed Clay and Piney sitting at the bar chatting.

"Good morning Old Man." Jax said as he stepped farther into the room, a huge grin planted on his face.

"Must be talkin' to you, Clay." Piney said as he threw back the shot of Tequila.

"You too, Old Man." Jax snickered, sipping on the coffee the Prospect set in front of him. His lips turned up into a smirk as the two older men glared in his direction. Lately he had been a rarity to see the two men in such a playful manner. They'd both been way too serious. Jax understood, knowing that the deal the club had made with the Cartel was weighting heavily on their minds.

Clay set the newspaper down and stared at his stepson. At the usual hour, Jax would act like a grumpy asshole. Instead, he was walking around happy as ever. Honestly, he was happy for him. It was something he need, they all needed. A breath of fresh air of some sort. "You feeling alright, Ya' little shit?" he said as he chuckled. "A little chipper this morning, ain't ya'?"

Jax shook his head and set his coffee down. "Just seems like it's gonna be a good day. Is that so wrong?" he asked. He understood where the men were coming from. He was acting weird this morning, not his usual self, but he really didn't give two fucks. He was happy. He got his girl last night. It may have taken him a few weeks, but here he was where he could proudly say he got her. And that was all that mattered, right?

"Yes." Clay and Piney said in unison.

"Well," Jax paused as he thought about how to word his next sentence. "If it's wrong, I don't wanna be right." he said, chuckling. As he finished his coffee, he clapped the two men who were like fathers to him on the back and stood. "I have so non-club business to tend to if ya' don't mind. I'll see you old men later."

Clay shook his head and pointed to the barstool. "No, you're gonna sit your happy ass down right there, Son. Now, you gonna tell us what's goin' on with ya' or are we gonna have to beat it out of ya'? I'll get Happy here real quick, Jax. Better yet, how 'bout your Momma?"

"A'ight, a'ight." Jax gave in, his hands held up in surrender. "You remember that girl I was with at the party? Gia? Well, let's just say that we came to an.. understanding last night." His face turned up in a wolfish grin, knowing exactly what thought he planted into the two men. He knew that what they thought happened really didn't, but he'd let them think that.

"Ya' got a piece of Sweet Pea?" Piney asked, a look of disbelief on his face. "Knew there was something goin' on." Piney remembered the night at the party when she first came around. There were the rumors that there was something better they little girl and the club's new president. He knew better than to believe her when she dismissed it. But damn, he wished it were true. She was a nice girl, has a good head on her shoulders. What would being involved with the club do to her? Shaking his head he muttered, "Damn shame." It was only a matter or time before she became the next Gemma Teller Morrow.

"Little Greek girl with the bakery out on Main?" Clay asked. He broke out in a grin and whistled. "She got some thighs on her, Brother."

"She sure does." Jax agreed as he lit the cigarette hanging from his mouth.

"You better not hurt that girl." Piney warned, pointing a finger at him. "Boy I swear I'll beat you shitless. She's a good girl, doesn't need a shithead like you going and messing up everything that she's built. I'm tell you now, Jackson. If ya' ain't serious about pursing a relationship with this girl, break it off. You break it off right now before she gets hurt. You hear me?"

"It's not what you think." Jax said as he fiddled with the large rings on his fingers. He turned them over and over as he tried to gather what exactly he wanted to say. "I know the type of girl she is, hardworking and focused. Who am I to come and mess that up for her? Been thinking for a while about settling down, why not with her?" he asked as he nodded to himself more than Piney. With that, he was out the door and heading for his bike at the head of the line. He needed to see her.

* * *

"Here's your cake, Ma'am." Gia said as she handed the white box to a woman over the counter. "Thank you for your service."

Huffing, she walked to the back room where Valerie was busy making cupcakes. Leaning against the doorframe, she stared at her friends backside. It was obvious that Gia had always been shaped better than her best friend. Valerie always had told her she had a killer body, the only thing was that she didn't know how to show it off. Was that mainly why so many men had choosen Val over her? "Val," she paused. "Can I ask you somethin'?"

Valerie nodded as she placed the first batch of cupcakes into the oven. "S'up?"

Gia took a deep breath and thew herself into one of the chairs. She felt a tinge of disappointment in herself as she thought about what she was about to ask. "Do you think Jax and I are right for each other? I mean, he's the President of a motorcycle club and I'm this... baker. Here he is with a list of reasons why he's gone to prison, and I'm never even had a run in with the police. Two complete opposites, right?"

Val took her mittens off and placed them on the counter. Pointing a finger in her best friend's face, she narrowed her eyes. "Now you listen here, Missy. You get those thoughts out of your head. Now that you guys have finally made so some sort of progress, you're not going to screw it up by planting negative thoughts in your own head."

"I can't help it, Val!" she exclaimed. "Think about it, though. I know you've had some doubts in your head. I just wish that I was more like..." she paused and sighed. "I wish I was more like you." she whispered.

"And why the hell is that?" Val questioned.

"W-Well," Gia stuttered. "Look at you! You're exactly the type of girl that every guy wants to be with. You've got the blonde hair and the nice body. That's obviously why you've been pulling guys for as long as I could remember." She shifted from foot to foot, a nervous habit she had picked up some time ago. "I just wish I was as confident as you."

"Yeah well, you and I both, Babe." Val spat. She watched as Gia tilted her head in curiosity. Sighing, she tried to figure out how she was going to tell her best friend that not everything was as it seemed. Yeah, guys lusted after her, and yeah she welcomed it. But the truth was, she wished she didn't. She wished she was just like her best friend. She wanted to be like Gia simply because she wasn't a... slut. If Valerie could take back all those times she went to bed with all those men, she would. This wasn't a glamorous life she was living.

"Let me tell you something, Sweetie." She said, taking Gia by the hand and leading her to sit on the stools. "The truth is... I want to be just like _you_. Do you know how it feels when a whole bunch of guys try to get with you because they know you're easy? It fucking sucks. I feel like I'm constantly being used up then tossed to the side. Shit, I wish I was still a virgin. This, 'way of life' if you will, is not the best thing. Just be thankful that you have a guy that hasn't pressured you for anything. Be happy that he's even with you. Trust me, If he was anything like the guys I've been with, he would have been long gone by now. Does that tell you anything?"_  
_

"I guess." Gia shrugged. "By why do you let these guys take advantage of you? I mean, If you don't like it, why do you constantly let it keep happening? I don't understand."

"To be in the arms of a man, any man is..." Valerie started, but stopped, trying to figure out how to put this. "Honestly, I think it's because of the lack of a father figure growing up. I didn't have that love of a man that most girls get, you know? Didn't have a man to teach me all about those boys. I think that I go from bed to bed is because I'm trying to fill that void of not having a man to love me. Understand?"

Gia nodded. She could tell her friend was telling the truth. She was grateful that she had the father that she did. Would she have ended up just like Valerie if he wasn't there? "You know you don't have to let that keep going on, Val. You could always look for a serious guy, there's a lot of them out there. If you come across an asshole, don't sleep with him, just continue your search."

Valerie stared at her best friend, soaking in what she had to say. Nodding, she turned back to the oven. "I'll try that, thanks." she muttered.

Gia noticed that her friend wanted to be alone, and did just that. Looking up at the sound of the bells above the door, she froze.

"Owen.." she breathed.


End file.
